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"Asked and answered" with Greg Rikhoff

6/16/2013 update: It’s not an official opinion from the GC’s office, but I have a feeling it’s all that we’re going to get. Obviously today’s embarassing RG story on public records at UO is the only way to get President Gottfredson to move:

On SundayJun 16, 2013, at 11:53 AM, Gregory Rikhoff wrote: 

Professor Harbaugh,
I’ve had opportunity to talk with the Office of the General Counsel so please consider this your clarification. Public meetings and public records law will apply to a university just as it does now without interruption.  They will apply to the governing board as soon as the board is confirmed by the State Senate.

Hope this helps,
Greg Rikhoff

They could still weasel out by saying that the law applies, but doesn’t require open meetings until the board actually starts governing in 2014. And looking at UO’s current practices, that would hardly be a surprise.

I’ve still only got a partial answer on President Gottfredson’s “Budget Advisory Group” asked on 5/21/2013. Neither Rikhoff, Moffitt, or Shelton will give the BAG charge or agenda. However the faculty union did learn a little – see page 4 of this doc, which they were able to extract from Moffitt during bargaining. Basically the BAG deals with the small change that’s leftover from Shelton’s budget allocation model. If UO even has a process for setting long-run budget priorities they aren’t letting the faculty get within a mile of it.

6/11/2013: Samantha Matsumoto has a story in the ODE on Greg Rikhoff’s appointment as Chief of Staff, here.

5/22/2013: It’s well known on campus that President Gottfredson ignores emails from the faculty. But now he’s got a new chief of staff, Greg Rikhoff. In celebration I’m starting a new “Asked and Answered with Greg Rikhoff” column. If you have a question you’d like to see answered, or at least formally asked and then ignored, I’m happy to act as intermediary.

5/30/2013: So far we have asked two questions, one on faculty input into budget priorities, one on the UO Board and public records and meetings. Both now more than a week old, still no answers from Rikhoff:

Asked 5/21/2013, partial answer on 6/8/2013:

From: Bill Harbaugh
Subject: Fwd: [Econ_faculty_staff] cas-heads: Open Letter from the Deans to UO Community
Date: May 21, 2013 10:42:48 PM PDT
To: Gregory Rikhoff
Hi Greg:
The letter [from the Deans in support of SB270] says
“members of the elected Senate Budget Committee were key participants in this year’s budget setting process”
I’d appreciate it if you could send me a complete list of the members of this committee or working group or advisory group, and a copy of it’s charge.
Thanks,
Bill Harbaugh
UO Prof of Economics

On Saturday Jun 8, 2013, at 11:49 AM, Gregory Rikhoff <[email protected]> wrote:
Hey Professor,
Here’s the list. Sorry it took a bit of time.  There’s lot’s for me to learn and do.
Cheers, gsr
Jamie Moffitt, co-chair, Vice President Finance and Administration
Brad Shelton, co-chair, Vice Provost Budget and Planning
Stuart Laing, Director Budget and Resource Planning
Adam Walters, Graduate Student
Greg Mills, Undergraduate Student, ASUO
Marina Guenza, Professor of Chemistry, Senate Budget Committee
Angela Davis, Associate Professor of Accounting, Senate Budget Committee
Van Kolpin, Professor of Economics, Senate Budget Committee
Lisa Freinkel, Associate Professor of English and Head of Comparative Literature, Senate Budget Committee
Martha Schumacher, Business Affairs Office
Renee Dorjahn, Director of Finance and Administration, Clark Honors College
Doug Blandy, Senior Vice Provost for Academic Affairs
Michael Moffitt, Dean of Law
Scott Coltrane, Dean of Arts and Sciences
Yvette, Alex-Assensoh, Vice President Equity and Inclusion

Roger Thompson, Vice President Enrollment Management

From: Bill Harbaugh [mailto:wtharbaugh@gmail.com
Sent: Saturday, June 08, 2013 11:52 AM
To: Gregory Rikhoff
Cc: Robert Kyr; Margaret Paris; Anne Laskaya; Louise Bishop; Dave Hubin
Subject: Re: [Econ_faculty_staff] cas-heads: Open Letter from the Deans to UO Community
Thanks Greg, what’s their charge?

Bill Harbaugh
UO Prof of Economics
http://harbaugh.org

On SaturdayJun 8, 2013, at 11:54 AM, Gregory Rikhoff wrote:
Dunno.
A kind word. A cordial greeting. g
From: Bill Harbaugh
Subject: Re: [Econ_faculty_staff] cas-heads: Open Letter from the Deans to UO Community
Date: June 8, 2013 12:02:36 PM PDT
To: Jamie Moffitt , Brad Shelton
Cc: Gregory Rikhoff , Margaret Paris , Anne Laskaya , Louise Bishop , Dave Hubin
Hi Jamie and Brad, 
Can you please send me a copy of the charge of the “Budget Advisory Group” and any meeting agendas, minutes, or handouts since 7/1/2012?
Thanks,
Bill Harbaugh
UO Prof of Economics

Asked 5/13/2013, no response yet. But I did yell at Greg across the quad today on the way to lunch, and he says he’s working on it.

On 5/13/2013 I asked President Gottfredson the question below. No response. So yesterday I emailed Greg Rikhoff about it. I’ll post the reply below when it comes in.

From: Bill Harbaugh <[email protected]>
Subject: Question about UO Board legislation
Date: May 13, 2013 12:01:05 PM PDT
To: President Gottfredson <[email protected]>
Dear President Gottfredson:
I have a question regarding the proposed independent board legislation, which I hope you will answer by email – I’ll be unable to attend the governance meeting in Gerlingher tomorrow. 
What I think is the latest draft of the legislation, at https://olis.leg.state.or.us/liz/2013R1/Downloads/CommitteeMeetingDocument/19825, says:
“SECTION 2a. A university with a governing board is a governmental entity performing governmental functions and exercising governmental powers. A university with a governing board is not considered a unit of local or municipal government or a state agency, board, commission or institution for purposes of state statutes or constitutional provisions. …

I am wondering if this legislation will affect UO’s obligations under the public records and meetings law, if the UO Board will also be subject to these laws, and if the responsibility for handling appeals of Public Records denials from UO or the board will shift from the Lane County DA to the State DOJ or to another office.
Thank you,
Bill Harbaugh
UO Prof. of Economics

The current draft says that most of ORS 192 will apply to “a university with a governing board” but it does not say that the board itself will be. Additionally, the intent is to have the board appointed by September of this year, although it doesn’t have any actual power for another year. Under ORS 192 this means the board’s meetings until then might not be subject to the open meeting rules, even if ORS 192 does apply to the board. If you want to know more about SB270 in general, watch the Ed Ray video, here.

8 Comments

  1. Anonymous 05/22/2013

    Check your inbox… Gottfredson is now emailing us about our commitment to integrity and honesty? Are you kidding?

    • Still_Occupied 05/22/2013

      Hah! I just read that email and offered it a verbal “fuck off”. I don’t talk to my computer often, but when I do I usually swear at it.

  2. Anonymous 05/22/2013

    The new UO will be treated like other public bodies for purposes of the public records law. Appeals will go to the Lane County District Attorney and the DOJ will not be involved.

  3. Anonymous 05/31/2013

    Public record request for Rikhoff’s job description.

  4. Anonymous 06/06/2013

    Are there no options when they simply ignore?

  5. Anonymous 06/12/2013

    Did anyone else, hear a note in the ODE story of people preparing for the imminent departure of God?

    UOM congratulations on the mostly useful responses, now if they would quote you like that in the Oregonian.

    repost regarding a good article from AAUP regarding shared governance and independent boards. It sounds like the booster boards at public schools tend to ignore faculty.

    http://www.aaup.org/report/faculty-communication-governing-boards-best-practices

  6. Anonymous 06/16/2013

    Speaking of budget stuff — remember the good old days of the senate budget committee, that wonderful white paper, when Wayne Westling, Frank, Kellman, and Tublitz were riding high.

    The good old days of openness, transparency, an upward trajectory — when Frohnmayer was Pres and Moseley provost —

    Wait, is this just a crazy dream I’m having?????

  7. Anonymous 06/16/2013

    “Private Investors Sue Pronghorn” was the title of a Bend Bulletin article that mentions Bellotti as one of the investors. I found the article because the same designer that UO WAS going to use for a golf course-Tom Fazio. Perhaps uomatters can look into this ? Is it just a coincidence that the Tom Fazio design element is part of both news items. About two weeks ago Rickoff informed me that the UO Golf Course project had collapsed.

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